DIFFERENTIAL GPS ENHANCES TEST CAPABILITIES OF DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

Abstract

A system was developed using capabilities from the Range Applications Joint Program Office (RAJPO) GPS tracking system and the ACMI Interface System (ACINTS) to provide tracking data and visual cues to experimenters. The Mobile Advanced Range Data System (ARDS) Control System (MACS) outputs are used to provide research data in support of advanced project studies. Enhanced from a previous system, the MACS expands system capabilities to allow researchers to locate where Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) is available for incorporation into a reference data base. The System Integration Group at Veda Incorporated has been supporting Wright Laboratories in the ground-based tracking and targeting arena since 1989 with the design, development, and integration of four generations of real-time, telemetry-based tracking aids. Commencing in Q3 1995, Veda began developing a mobile, transportable system based on the RAJPO GPS tracking system. The resulting system architecture takes advantage of the front end processor (FEP) used in the three previous generations of interface systems built for Wright Laboratories, thus maximizing hardware and software reuse. The FEP provides a computational interface between the GPS tracking system and the display (operator) system. The end product is a powerful, flexible, fully mobile testbed supporting RDT&E requirements for Wright Laboratories, as well as to other U.S. and foreign research organizations. The system is rapidly reconfigurable to accommodate ground-based tracking systems as well as GPS-based systems, and its capabilities can be extended to include support for mission planning tools, insertion of virtual participants such as DIS entities, and detailed post-mission analysis.